Mitt Romney has improved his polling in Florida, and is reaching Hispanics in the state because they are hearing what he truly believes and identifying with it, the Sunshine State's Sen. Marco Rubio told Newsmax.

“The No. 1 issue in the Hispanic community is upward mobility and economic empowerment,” Rubio told Newsmax.TV in an exclusive interview. “The free-enterprise movement speaks to that. Every time he describes the process of how jobs and opportunity are created and what role government can play in that, he gains traction in the Hispanic community.”

Watch our exclusive interview. Story continues below.

The media is missing the entrepreneurial instincts of the Hispanic community and the prevalence of small business, which mirrors the backbone of the middle class and entire U.S. economy, Rubio said.

Because of excessive regulation, Obamacare and other government interference, Hispanic small businesses and their employees have suffered. Unemployment, he said, is higher among Hispanics than in the general population, so Romney’s message appeals when they hear it accurately portrayed.

“The Hispanic community across this country — but especially in Florida — has suffered greatly under this president’s failed policies,” Rubio said. “So we need to talk about that some more. Gov. Romney’s doing that, and that’s why you see him doing better in the polls.”

Mitt Romney has improved his polling in Florida, and is reaching Hispanics in the state because they are hearing what he truly believes and identifying with it, the Sunshine State's Sen. Marco Rubio told Newsmax.